Businesses pledge to make the switch

Stephen Bolton and his team at Marks and Spencer in The Peacocks are supporting E-Day next week. Signage in the store gives staff clear advice on reducing energy.

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IN Woking a host of businesses and groups have responded to the E-Day call to arms by pledging to take action.

The town centre’s largest shopping centre will be asking businesses to make the switch for E-Day.

Tim Keeping, manager of The Peacocks, said: “We take pride in leading the way on environmental initiatives where we can. Getting involved in what we hope will be a successful E-Day is yet another way we can help combat climate change.

“Many of our retailers have pledged their willingness to get involved and we hope this will be the first of many such days.”

Stephen Bolton is manager of Woking’s Marks and Spencer. He said: “The great thing about E-Day is that it makes you realise that you can do small things on a local level to make a big, cumulative difference.

“The simple things are switching off non-essential lighting and turning off computers when you’re not using them. It’s important we get across the point it’s about the simple things that can make a big difference.

“We know from when we have focused on these things in-store and taken a measure of the effect, that we can save energy consumption by 22%.”

Mr Bolton said staff at the Woking branch will be doing all they can to make the difference on E-Day and added that Marks and Spencer had already started to take decisive steps to a greener future.

During the past year the chain has reduced its energy-related CO2 emissions by 55,000 tonnes by getting a fifth of its electricity from renewable sources.

Rob Palgrave, from Woking green group Local Agenda 21, said the organisation had also given the event its backing.

He said: “It’s an important education tool. It is showing how a lot of our electricity use is almost unconscious. It silently steals your money and burns carbon in the background.

“This is to get people to think about doing things that don’t involve using electricity and burning fossil fuels.”

E-Day will run for 24 hours from 6pm on Wednesday. Visit www.e-day.org.uk for details.